Recovery

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Zoe was curled up in the blanket that I draped over her when I had brought her in. She was rocking back and forth while staring at the bloody uniform that I had stupidly left on the bathroom floor instead of throwing it in the laundry like every time I did with my bloody clothes.

I rushed to her side and was on my knees beside her in an instant.

“Zoe?”I called but she was like in a trace.

I scooped her and stood up, the clothes falling back to the bathroom floor she had picked them from.

That made her look at me like she was seeing me for the first time. She seemed surprised to wike me there. Like waking up from a long slumber.

“Hey there.” I looked at her, curled in my arms as I walked back inside the room and lay her on the bed.

She grabbed a handful of my shirt and pulled me down with her. I did not resist. It was clear that she needed me.

I moved her to my lap and settled on the bed. She placed her head on my chest without a word. I wrapped my arms around her under